Tubing, e.g., aluminum tubing, is commonly used for producing apparatus or structures that need to be both strong and light weight. An example is a bicycle frame as follows: A center post supports a rider's seat at the top and pedals at the bottom. A pair of support tubes or struts extend from both the bottom and top of the center post to each side of a rear hub (the rear wheel residing between the tubes/struts of each pair), and a single tube or strut extended from the top and bottom of the center post to a steering tube (in which a steering post is rotatably supported and connected at the top end to handle bars and at the bottom end to the front wheel). In the above example there are six tube or strut components, each one welded to the center post. Each weld represents an added operation to the production of the frame and also a potential point of failure.